Idaho Health and Welfare will Decide which City Gets New Facility Soon

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare says a decision about where to build a $1.5 million state-funded behavioral-health crisis center will likely be within a week. Spokeswoman Niki Forbing-Orr tells the Post Register that a committee is reviewing proposals from three cities. Idaho Falls in eastern Idaho, Boise in southwestern Idaho, and Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho are vying for the center that would serve as a safety net to treat at-risk mentally ill people whose symptoms often land them in hospitals or jail. Health and Welfare requested from state lawmakers $600,000 in startup money and $4.56 million to operate three crisis centers. Lawmakers earlier this year approved the $600,000 grant, but they reduced operations funding to $1.52 million, enough for only one crisis center.